AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 12

AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS.

DAIRYING IN ENGLAND. Amongst the New Zealand visitors present at the recent show at the Royal Agricultural Hall at Islington was Dr. E. G. Levinge, of Christchuroh, who has been recognised for many years as one of the principal authorities on dairy cattle in the Dominion. To The Post's London correspondent he gave some of his impressions. The dairying breeds represented were : — Shorthorns, Lincoln rod shorthorns, Jerseys, Guernseys, red polls, South Devons, Kerries. There were no Dextor-Kerries, and, to tho great disappointment of the doctor, no Ayrshires. lij shorthorns there were forty-eight entries of aged cows in milk, but, with the few exceptions manifesting the distinct dairy type known, to us in the Dominion, it was difficult to see what claim they had to be classed as milking shorthorns, for the beefy characteristics of the breed were abundantly in evidence. The judges seom to havo recognised this, for the prize-winners were largely animals that, if slaughtered, would have done credit to any butcher's stall. The first prize winner gave 41.31b of milk for one day's milking, but to the doctor's mind, the second cow (bred and exhibited by Lord Rothschild), which yielded the greatest weight of milk in her class for a clay's milking — 65.81b — was easily ahead of the winner as regards the true milking type. She and her mates and a few others were the only representatives of the breed showing the true milking type as we understand it. The milking yields for the day of most of the exhibits in this class were low — 60me of them remarkably so — and very few of them were above normal. As to the Jersey classes, the doctor remarked the difference in the growth of the younger stock — the greater size, development, and, apparently, more robust constitution of those reared in England as compared with those imported direct from their island home. • The first-prizb winner in the cow class is the dam of a heifer imported to Christchurch last year by Mr. G. Gould, and now on his farm at Taitapu. Dr. Levinge believes that he has seen an equally good, or better, representation of Jerseys exhibited many times in the Dominion. The Guernseys did not seem to have any special merit, and the red polls, aged, in milk, were more of the beefy typa. The Devons were very large, oo'arsa, rough-looking animals, and judging by their appearance, their food requirements would be very large indeed. Speaking generally, Dr. Lovinge remark- ' ed that while the classes represented were- linteresting, they did not include anything of outstanding excellence. Says the Dannevirke Evening News:— The experience of Mr. Little, a fanner at Bunnythorpe, aa mentioned to a Newß reporter, may throw a little fresh, light on the troublesome 'matter of potato blight. It is interesting to learn that he, though situated in a neighbourhood affected by, blight, has not had a sign of tho disease in his crops during the laet four seasons. fie attributes I&is immunity from attack simply to the fact of his not having- sown on tho same ground successively. He has grown all leading varieties of potatoes, and pute no faith in the claim that one has greater bnght-resisting qualities than another. From, forty suppliers who are delivering milk to the Tnratahi Cheese Faotory, 2600 gallons of milk are received daily, whioh (says the Masterton Age) is the largest that has ever been supplied to this factory. The largest supplier delivers 160 gallons per day. The highest test at the iactory is 4, and the average about 3.6 ihe manager states that the milk supplied this seasou has been in good condition, and so far none ha B been Rejected. On Friday last 14£ tons of cheese was railed to Wellington, this being the largest fortnightly consignment sent away this teason. The grade so far has been good. Ihe management is installing another agitator." The Balknce Dairy Company has r»oeived an offer of lid per lb for a shipment of butter to South Africa. One reason for the high fertility of English farms is found in the old custom of landowners to stipulate in the terms of tenancy that no hay nor manure shall be Bold. This provision iB meant to act as a check on unscrupulous tenants who may be tempted to impoverish the land. One of the finest fields of wheat to be seen in the "Wairarapa district (says the Age) is that growing on Mr. W. J. Weloh'a property, Upper Plain. It is fully four feet high, with particularly full and well formed heads, and from its general evenness much care must hava been taken in the preparation of the seed bed, as well as m sowing. Mr. O. N. Orbell, of Levels, has demonstrated in a very satisfactory way the value of the Corriedale snoop as a wool - producer (says the Timaru Herald). He has a small flock of this breed of sheep, in whioh he takes considerable pride ; and that his pride in them is not without justification was shown, at the wool sale in Timaru on Wednesday, when his wool topped the market at -the handsome figure of 142 d per lb— a price considerably in excess of that brought by wool of the same kind at the recent Christchurch sale. . T , no . dairyhiß industry in Marlborough is beginning to assume large dimensions. During tho last two months the erection of two new factories has been commenced —one at Spring Creek and another in the Rai Valley. There is at present a keen demand for shearers throughout the Wairarapa district, good men being somewhat difficult to obtain. ,, On ~ Wednesda y Reports the local Star) Mr. G. V. Pearce, M.P., had the misfortune to lose a champion Border Leicester ewe, winner of the magenta ticket at Wanganui and Hawera Shows. Some peculiar property of the grass at the Wanganui racecourse is suspected as the cause. It appears that about four years ago horses depastured there contracted stringhalt, and this year sheep are badly affected. It is thought that Mr. Pearce's sheep, being grass fed, ate greedily after their fast on the train journey and again after being locked up on the first show day During tke week it was noticed that several of the sheep had their ears Swollen, with a puffy appearance about the head. Because of this some of the sheep entered were not brought forward. The ewe which died appeared all right up to Wednesday, but after being iudgedl the symptoms developed. Sheep that were mangel-fed at Wanganui escaped. It would be interesting to learn the cause of the trouble, and if any more of tho affected sheep die a veterinary examination is to be made. At the beginning of every dairying season, says Mr. D. Cuddie, Dairy Commissioner, in his annual report, there is a change in the management of a number of butter factories, and the result is very often a cha-nge in the quality of the produce. Sometimes it is for the better, but just as often some detorioration is evidenced. Managers and butter-makers who have been doing fairly good work whore they have been employed for some years do not always succeed so well when they take over the work at other places. Then, again, really good inon are sometimes allowed to leave their employers, owing to other dairying companies offoring slightly higher salaries. Altogether, there are too many changes in tho management of factories throughout the country. Mr. A. B. Wood, agricultural okemist, o: Masterton (states a local journal), who has been on a tour of Hawkes Bay district, during which he visited a number of large stations, states that tho wool clip in, that province has been exceptionally good both as regardsquantity and quality. Tho maize crops in the surrounding country district about Gisborne are said to be suffering somewhat severely from the ravages of slugs and minahs. Pheasants also aro making their presence felt m the gardens, and a settler from Waerenga;ahika told a Times reporter that he had lost four long rows of peas in. two mornings by the unwelcome attention of there birds.